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If you're a bit late on this article, the new Yongnuo 565EX flash can be triggered by a Canon remote. So questions came up whether the Yongnuo YN-565EX Flash will work with the Radio Popper PX wireless triggers. Indeed it does and i've run some tests. There's no reason it shouldn't because the Radio Popper PX system takes the Canon infrared, does some magic, and then sends the very basic infrared back into the flash. The problem you'll run into is the standard RP shoe mount is not aligned. Never fear as a bit of Velcro will do just fine lining up the infrared ports.

Some of you might be wondering why you would need the Radio Popper system? Well let's start out by saying if you don't shoot in High Speed Sync, then you probably don't need it. You could do just fine with the RF603 triggers and switching the flash to manual mode. Instead of relying on Canon's infrared signals (which requires line of sight and gets pretty spotty outdoors), you could get more consistent results with a true wireless system. The only other benefit to using the Radio Poppers is if you want to control flash compensation straight from the camera (instead of walking up to the flash), or if you are managing power ratios and groups of flashes. If you're a bit new, my suggestion is to just go with the RF603 setup and learn how to work the flash manually. You'll actually gain a good understanding of flash.

Jonathan writes in and shares his Yongnuo RF-603 unboxing with a quick demo. The RF-603 is an upgrade from the previous RF-602 model. A single RF-603 can act both as a transmitter and receiver, as to where the 602 were actual separate units. This is definitely more convenient and also changes the required batteries to only AAAs (easily found at any store).

These are also Wireless Camera Shutter Remotes to fire your camera while on a tripod (best for sharper images). As you can see from the end of the video, Jonathan sets up the RF-603 to trigger both his camera's shutter while simultaneously firing off the strobe. Not only can they fire off strobes through a sync cable, but they also have a built in hot shoe for firing off Speedlite Flashes, which allows you to mix all different types of strobes in one setting. [Thanks Jonathan] You can find these inexpensive flash triggers following the link (click here).

Sweet little setup by Vimeo member kaydawgy shows a triple flash bracket with Yongnuo Speedlites and Yongnuo RF602 wireless flash triggers. As mentioned in the video, instead of using a single flash at full power, you can use several flashes at low power. This will give you faster recycle times and a broad light source for softer light. This also helps to keep your flashes from overheating too quickly. That large 60" shoot through umbrella also enhances to create the large soft diffused light for portraits. The triple flash bracket can be found (click here).

Triple Flash Bracket

The Yongnuo RF602 wireless triggers work great for firing flashes off camera, so if you're in a dark venue (i.e. wedding reception), many photographers will spread flashes around the room. Clamp them to the ceiling, throw them in the corners, or use them as backlighting to silouhette subjects on the dance floor (cliche I know). The RF602 triggers also come with a cable to fire off mini plugs and 1/4 plug studio strobes, and an optional cable (purchased seperately) turns them into a remote shutter. These handy little wireless triggers can be found (click here).

One thing you need to be aware of with this setup, is that these Yongnuo triggers don't communicate ETTL and can't support HSS (high speed sync) with the Flashes. You'll be working with the flashes on full manual mode. The triggers can only sync to about 1/200ths shutter speed. Important Note: So, if you're at 1/200ths and F/4 to blur out your backgrounds on a bright day, you'll be very much overexposed. To shoot with a shallow depth of field, grab yourself an ND filter. If you don't have the ND Filter to cut out the bright sun, you can still use 1/200ths shutter speed and close down your aperture to say F/16 (no more blurry backgrounds). If you happed to be working at an indoor studio type setting, you should be fine at that shutter speed. You can find a variety of different Yongnuo flash models (click here). [Thanks kaydawgy]

Thanks to David for reminding me about Yongnuo's new RF603 Wireless Flash Triggers. The new RF603 version (replacing RF602) is both a transmitter and a receiver hence the name 'transceiver', so you can use each one as both. The old RF602 version required both a separate transmitter and reciever unit in order to work. There's a few more new features that make the RF603's a better buy if you don't already own a set, but a bit of bad news is that they are 'not' compatible with the older RF602's. Blah. I have quite a few of the RF602's.

One thing that might be confusing if you're looking at the product pages would be the difference between Canon and Nikon versions. The units are all the same and the difference is the provided shutter cable. The RF603 Transceivers can also act as a remote and receiver to fire your Camera's shutter wirelessly (sorry no video starting). You can find out more information about Yongnuo's RF603 following the link.